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Listen to Audio Part I (13:52)
Listen to Audio Part II (13:01)
On the upcoming practice schedule -
Next week will be completely different. This week they’ve been gone two days. And we have two days off and a game…so we’ve still got some games coming very quickly. Next week we’ll start bringing them in twice a day.
On picking up the defense -
The last three games we’ve held our concentration and tried to make our defense be a factor in the game. I think there were games before those three. We tried very hard against Ohio State, and we tried very hard against Kentucky; but the bottom line is we had to outscore those people. But the last three games I think our defense has been a huge factor in the games.
I admire the rascal. We had 23 wins last year, and he played pretty darn well. Then a magazine lists the 20 top point guards, and he’s not one, but Ty [Lawson] is. But instead of getting frustrated, mad or jealous; he just worked harder. And he is better – he’s bigger, quicker, stronger, understands things, and he’s much more of a leader out on the court. He really did prepare very well for this season.
On Wayne Ellington’s progress -
I think he’s done a marvelous job. We’ve played 11 games and he was shooting over 50 percent from the floor until the last game – I think he was 1-for-7. He missed his last one, and I said, ‘Did it look good when you shot it? And he said, ‘Yes.’ He’s going to be a big time scorer at the college level, but he’s worked so hard defensively. He started the first game. I felt like he deserved that through his work in the preseason practice. Everytime he shoots it, I think it’s going in. Take out the Gonzaga and Saint Louis games, and I think he’s shooting 55 percent from the floor. He’s still been able to shoot the ball and score, but his biggest improvement has been on the defensive end.
He had a truly fantastic high school coach – a guy that I love, and I love to watch his teams play. I think that’s helped Wayne with his transition and how competitive he is. He’s going to score a lot of points, but before it’s all over with, he’s going to be extremely well-rounded.